Tag Archives: City Council

A city council that wishes to be trusted with the local control that was promised during the fight to gain cityhood continues to approve nonsensical documents such as the one shown.

This official document will be recorded in the County Recorder’s Office at the County of Riverside notifying all concerned that the Residential Slurry Project for Fiscal Year 2013/14 has satisfactorily been completed.

One has to wonder what the “Enhancement of the safety of certain routes to Ronald Reagan Elementary School which is on the east side of the freeway has to do with a project that occurred on the west side of the freeway primarily in the Windsong Tract and Regency Tract of homes.

This along with the cracks already returning only a few months after completion rather than the 5-6 years and the weeds already growing up through the slurry shows the continued apathy this city council displays towards its citizens.
Council members are so wrapped up in everybody else’s business they have no time for Wildomar.

At the most recent city council meeting for the city of Wildomar after being confronted about council members lack of really caring about the parks and the 305 days (the far too late) since the re-opening of the 3 city parks during which not a single tattered basketball net was replaced an extreme display of arrogance took place.
Rather than the council direct the City Manager to have the City Parks Employee (paid for with Measure Z Funds) use his part-time hours to visit the near by Walmart and using petty cash from the Measure Z Parks fund purchase 8 new nets at a cost of less than $40.00 and install them before the weekend, two days from that point in time.A purchase order/voucher or maybe even the city credit card could have been used as well to be paid for at a later date using Measure Z funds.

A council person, during the meeting from the dais, ordered 4 fancy red-white and blue nets (the way too little), half of what was needed.

I (and at least one other person) will be watching to see if these nets are installed at the only park that seems to count in this city. The other 2 parks will have to wait for another embarrassing moment.

This display goes hand in hand with the lack of notice given area residents before the fence was removed from one of the parks. A most telling lack of respect for citizens directly affected by actions of the city. This removal occurred prior to any of the security measures being installed for which this city has paid up front a large sum of money with a date uncertain, two dates have been given January 26th and February 11th, so far

Thanks to a short sighted city council and staff a project was approved that will result in an important transportation route being incomplete.

The route is called Monte Vista Drive which the City of Wildomar will allow to be modified from its current designation of a Secondary Highway Standard 94 which includes a 100 foot right away. The new look will be a Major Frontage Road Standard 109 (should be 97 foot right of way) modified to all of 82 feet wide without any sidewalks or landscaping along its west side which borders Interstate 15 as it slices along the eastern hills thru Wildomar along with a reduce width sidewalks on the east side.

The County of Riverside Standard Ordinance 461 which are what the City of Wildomar adopted upon incorporation call for a multi-use trail to be 26 feet in width from the curb face, but alas, the City of Wildomar feels we only deserve 14 with no fence separating the trail from the sidewalk.

Below is all the City of Wildomar was willing to fight for, its citizens will pay the price in the future with traffic delays, unwalkable trails which are not horse friendly along with bikeways that are dangerous to all but the most experienced riders.

Mind you the speed limit on this stretch of roadway is currently 55 mile per hour.

The claim from the dais or throne if you wish is that cities all over Riverside County are not putting sidewalks on the freeway sides of their frontage roads.
But guess what, we aren’t everyone else. This is Wildomar and we have an enviable situation with having a frontage road that has a view.

The pictures below were taken standing next to the Caltrans fence in front of the project sight along Monte Vista Drive.

Much of this stretch of roadway is elevated above the freeway.

By setting a precedence in allowing this to occur on this project most of the elevated portions of roadways with a view are subject to the same abuses of power by the City of Wildomar in the future.
This city will lose all of its unique features to development and end up looking like so many other communities, slabs of boring concrete with no character.

The fence was removed from Windsong Park on Friday October 24, 2014. At least partly which is so typical of this city.

Couldn’t get the fence all the way out of the sidewalk.

When Wildomar City Council members were contacted by concerned neighbors about why they were not notified of this event the political drivel started.
Even though some living elsewhere have claimed knowledge of its impending removal for weeks, with a surprising degree of accuracy, most council members claimed ignorance about the timing of the removal and a lack of notification being given to homes surrounding the park.
Even though a Council Consensus reached at a February 12, 2014 meeting stated the fence would remain until such time as appropriate security measures were in place just maybe citizens should have asked for this situation to be entered as a formal agenda item requiring a vote.
At the February meeting several items were discussed as appropriate security measures.
1. A log in station located inside the park for park security personnel requiring them to walk up to it and check in to insure they did more than just drive-by. NOWHERE TO BE FOUND
2. Security lighting along the perimeter to eliminate some of the hiding places of those violating park hours. DAWN TO DUSKNOWHERE TO BE FOUND
3. Security cameras meant to provide remote monitoring of the parks after hours.NOWHERE TO BE FOUND

While some council members claim these security measure are in place with the addition of an ADA restroom (maybe the security office)
A phone number (951)245-1974 to contact the private security company (A number which is only on the cheap ass signs at Windsong Park, if something happens at one of the other parks forget it, call (800) 950-2444 for Wildomar Police Non-Emergency (Non response as well).
Speaking of the cheap ass signs, it appears the fence was left in the way otherwise there would be no place to hang the cheap ass signs.

Example of a real sign

Another real sign. As often as the ones we have get stolen we could have paid for a good one.

Lights in the gazebos, which have been there since the county installed them and remained on 24/7 until electricians doing some work installed a photovoltaic cell which turned them off in the day time.
These lights currently can turned off by accessing the box with the switch, currently unsecured.

Look ma no lock

The log in station is nowhere to be found (unless the restroom is wired).

Perimeter lighting according to the city manager is still a couple of weeks away.
Cameras are going to be like the cameras that were promised at Marna O’Brien Park some years back costing $12,000 that never showed up even though the money disappeared. A figment of someone’s vivid imagination.

Couldn’t even get it off the sidewalk

Notice the chain to it from being stolen, the last one at this park was set on fire.
Let’s add some more insult.
The grass might grow

This grass is front and center of the park

if the sprinkler wasn’t buried

Under a rock

Lets hope this was done so no one can be lock in the crapper.

In case you didn’t notice the broken latch in the previous picture. If locked in just kick.

All is not a complete disaster as shown below.
Before
Now looks like this

All better with a new box.

If you should notice something that is broken please call the new maintenance number at (951) 678-2451

Some times complaining does work. The previous signs that change the speed limit on Grand Avenue passing David A. Brown Middle School have been changed to the proper signage lowering the speed limit to only when children are present.
BEFORE

This was taken on August 31st

AFTER

This was first observed on September 17th after leaving Coffee with a Cop.

The grabber against the fence is 32 inches tall. The level that the water got up to.

Even a water dog would have had to hold its breath to make it thru here.

Nature reclaiming her own.

Before you think this all over think again. There are questions that still need to be asked an answered about the City of Wildomar’s complicity in the result seen here and on the video. Stay tuned for those questions.

Many months ago it was announced that a young citizen in furtherance of their scouting life would be allowed once again to donate a project to the City of Wildomar that is supposed to enhance the parks for all of its citizens using donated materials and volunteer hours.
This project has been called “The Freedom Swing” and is the donation of a wheelchair accessible swing for those children unable to leave their wheelchair and enjoy swinging with the rest of the children.
On the surface this would appear a fine project that would benefit a small but important group of citizens. But due to a lack of foresight by city council members and a lack of homework by staff this project like ones before it is turning into a taxpayer nightmare with cost estimates to the taxpayer of between $10,900.00 and $28,750.00.
This project at first scheduled to be placed in the cities premier park, Marna O’Brien, on August 23rd is still without a home. The city staff is madly scrambling to locate a suitable location that will fulfil all of the goals of inclusion and safety that are required when a city installs equipment in its parks, most especially its Tot-Lots which entertain the youngest members of our community.
On Monday August 25th, two days after its initial placement date, the City of Wildomar Standing Committee for Parks will hold a meeting to determine a final resting place for this project along with an estimate of how many thousands of taxpayer dollars this project is going to cost to bring to completion.
At this meeting which will determine where and how much, city officials are already making plans (once again) for the celebration of its placement at a park that may not be finished in time, cost effective nor its final home.
Talk about the cart before the horse, this is a common theme in Wildomar. Let’s make a promise and then figure out how to fulfill it no matter what it cost the taxpayer.

At the most recent wildomar city council meeting congratulations were extended to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department for the recovery of recently stolen items. A big hands together indeed for a job well done. What wasn’t given was acknowledgment that a LOCAL CITIZEN, who after hearing about the theft in one of the many forms of local media, called in the tip that started the Sheriff’s Department on the road to recovering these items which had been scattered to the winds, items having been found in 4 locations at last count.
Further evidence of the utter contempt by the city council for the Average Citizen of wildomar was during the discussion of future agenda items, one being obtaining a proper zip code for the residence of the most norther section of town which still retains a Lake Elsinore mailing address.

Six years and they are finally thinking about it.

During the discussion all anyone on the dais could remember was the loss of the “Bear Creek Golf Resort” to a Murrieta zip code by the post office, this occurred at a time when half the community of wildomar had a Lake Elsinore zip code. I did, we started out with a Wildomar Zip code and were switched to Lake Elsinore only to be returned back to Wildomar a few short years later. The thing is, no matter what zip we were still in the community of wildomar.
The residence of Bear Creek not only had their zip code changed but the County of Riverside shifted the boundaries of the community into the new City of Murrieta not the Post Office.
Also mentioned during this portion of the session was changing the Historical name of the Baxter Street off-ramp to something more pleasing to the council, like, Wildomar Parkway. Why the name change, nobody can remember who Baxter was or they know and are not pleased he called Murrieta home.
Near as I can tell he was Albert. S. Baxter, farmer, born in 1867 in Illinois who at the time he lived in the area called Murrieta his home, this is where his twin boys claim they were born.
Maybe we could rename it Alameda del wildomar to go along with Alameda del Monte. Alameda translates to Tree lined Avenue. Better yet why not Brown Ave seeing as how the Brown house is rotting away within view of the off ramp.

At the February 12, 2014 City of Wildomar council meeting one of the council persons requested that flashing speed signs be installed at David A Brown middle school. The cost for these signs was estimated to be around $4,200 each (two signs would cost approximately $8,400 plus installation cost).
In March the city issued a press release about the city receiving a grant from one of our insurance carrier, Public Agency Risk Sharing Authority of California ( PARSAC) for $23,000 which was to be spent on these signs, repairing some pavement issues at Marna O’Brien Park, and inspecting the playground equipment before the parks re-open.
In a recent Press Enterprise article the City of Lake Elsinore is going to install 18 of these flashing speed signs around 6 schools in the City of Lake Elsinore for a cost of $355,000. This works out to $19,722 for each sign.
Either we need to elevate this council person to Comptroller General of the United States where they can solve all the worlds financial problems or we need to ask How can it be that Wildomar is so thrifty and everyone else is so wasteful.
Keep in mind, that this council person was involved in the pre-incorporation of the city during which animal control cost was projected by the County of Riverside to be $70,000 annually. They were in office when the City of Wildomar accepted staff information presented to the council, which the council subsequently voted to accept, that Animal Control cost would be $90,000 per year and they are still in office at a time when Wildomar is paying out almost $450,000 for this service.
Assuming that the cost is comparable to our neighbors, Wildomar will be able to install 1 5/32 signs while not doing any of the required work on our parks.

At the most recent Wildomar City Council Meeting held on February 12, 2014 a plaque was presented to Supervisor Kevin Jeffrey’s for his efforts related to the turning over of money collected by Riverside County that rightfully belongs to the City of Wildomar.

I like Supervisor Jeffrey’s and applaud his efforts in cleaning up the books of Riverside County in a attempt to get the county financially on track.

What I despise is the attempt by the City Council in making this presentation is the mentioning of Supervisor Jeffrey’s help in turning over to the City of Wildomar the Eastside Parkland and $300,000 in Quimby Fees in the same breath as the $661,859 additional monies now being turned over, leaving one to believe there would be almost 1 MILLION DOLLARS available for the new park.

Just as when the $300,000 was turned over with the new parkland, the City of Wildomar failed to mention this money had already been earmarked for a DG Trail at the new park.

What was not mentioned with the announcement of this new money is that it is already earmarked for projects not yet completed.
1. $3,350 for maintenance of 300 feet of 60 inch storm drain line at Elizabeth Lane and Clinton Keith
2.$508,442.08 for 1500 feet of Curbs Gutters and Sidewalk on La Estrella between David Lane and Via Sarah. It will be years and many homes into future before this is done as a bridge needs to be built connecting two sections of La Estella.
3.$65,801 for Curbs Gutters Sidewalks and Paving on La Estrella from Crossroads westerly 700 feet.
4. $45,889.86 for 700 feet of half median project on Palomar at Meadow Ridge Lane.
5. $38,376.00 for 600 feet of offsite road at Starbuck Circle and Palomar St.